Old Texas Ranger And His Thompson

Thought Id pass along a story that was told to Me about an old Texas Ranger named Pappy Davinport from San Antonio, Texas. Bob Willams, A late friend of mine told Me about Pappy and His Thompson.Bob and Pappy had driven the 150 miles from San Antonio to Larado in a 1932 Ford over dusty dirt roads on Ranger bussiness and after they finished, They drove all the way back to San Antonio that night getting in late about 9 or 9;30. Bob said they decided to get a hotel room down on the south side of town a few blocks south of the Alamo. He said back then there was no air conditioning and the only room left was on the 2nd floor over looking a Mexican Beer Joint that had a big enclosed patio behind the Saloon with tables and chairs around a big beer keg sitting on a tree stump. Bob said He and Pappy carried their belongings up the stairs to the room including a leather case that was very heavy and when Bob asked Pappy what was in the case that made it so heavy, Pappy said it was a Thompson Machine Gun.

Bob said they went to bed, But the Mexicans were making so much noise singing and yelling and fighting no one could sleep. After a while, Pappy got up and stuck his head out the window and yelled to shut up that damn noise so someone could get some sleep. Bob said for a while it was quite, But after a while it was going again loader than before. About that time, Pappy got out of bed and said this is enought of this shit as he pulled the Thompson out of its bag and slid a round drum into the Thompson cussing in English and Spanish as Bob watched him pull back the bolt and as he threw back the curtins from the window, Pappy let go with the Thompson firing just over the heads of the partying Mexicans as the bullets blew chunks from the adobe wall just over their heads from one end of the patio to the other as Mexicans screamed and fell and run as tables and chairs turned over including the beer barrel. Bob said he had just gotten up enought to see it all. He said it was wild as old Pappy was firing the Thompson thru the screen and fire was flying out the end of the barrel and from the ejector port as the spent 45 shells clinged onto the floor around his feet untill he had shot up the entire drum. Bob said he always remembered seeing the smoke coming off the barrel in the moon light as Mexicans were hauling ass down the street and wires were shooting sparks from bullets hitting them over at the beer joint patio. Bob said he was sure somebody had to be killed with all those bullets flying around as Pappy was still cusing in Spanish and English as he pulled out another loaded drum and stuck it in the smoking Thompson laying it down next to his bed as he yelled out the window that next time he would Kill All You Mexican Son Of Bitches. I ask Bob what He did and His reply was Shit, I Was Afrade To Say Anything, The Old Bastard Was Still Cusing.Bob said after that some San Antonio cops came over and was looking around the patio when Old Man Pappy called out to them that ever thing was ok now that some Mexicans were making too much noise and they had all left now and He was going back to sleep.Bob said He never got a wink all night as he watched Old Pappy snore away as He kept an eye on that damn Thompson laying on the floor next to Pappy till daylight, Hoping nothing would wake the old man up again. He said next morning when Pappy got up, He acted like it was a everday thing as he walked around kicking the fired shells under the bed before they left and Bob said the screen was hanging in peices.

A couple of years later, Bob said He asked Pappy if He ever had used the Thompsonon anybody? He said old Pappy told him He had cut some men in half with it. Bob said the Thompson had a beautiful bright blue finish on it and it was heavy to carry.

Gentlemen,Are we not glad that Texas Rangers no longer do this kind of thing??? Seems, at the time, a Ranger appointment was a political kickback of some kind. This lead to the disgraceful actions of some people like Pappy. Ask any Texas Ranger if he would be proud of this story; likely he would tell you that he is ashamed of that part of the otherwise glorious history of the Texas Rangers

I can not say what todays rangers would say. But I know the oldtime lawmen lived under a far different set or rules and that years ago things were a lot different. I am a native Texan and am myself well up in years. I was a young boy when I went along with my grandfather to some of the old saloons and as I sit next to him as he played cards and dominos I listened to oldtimers talk about wars, killing men and other experences that they had lived themselves. One of the old men he was friends with used to tell me about fighting Indians in the 1880s and Mexicans along the border and he had the bullet scares to back up his talk. This was in the late 40s and 50s.

I became interested in guns in the early 1950s and traided a lot of guns with old lawmen and rangers and even gun runners running guns into Old Mexico. I got to know a lot of them quite well and they shared stories with me about their experences.

Many of these old men lived to a different set of rules than we know today and they were often standing alone, miles from any backup or help of any kind. No radios to call for help neither. What many whimps today will never know is what its like to find yourself in a shootout for your life, alone and out numbered and miles from any help. What rules are you going to use in a case like that? They would tell you, what ever it took to live thru the next minute. Having been there myself, I can agree and I did what I had to and thats why I am alive today.

To some men, When they hold a 45 Colt Auto or any number of other guns in their hands today, Just what goes thru their minds? Man this is a nice gun, oh, no this screw looks different than orginal, shit like that OR DOES He hold a 45 Colt Auto and remember when one saved his live or does he remember when he used a gun like this in anger? How about holding a Thompson in your hands and thinking if you had this in your hand the day you were ambushed by a dozen hombres in a cane break along the Rio Grande as the bullets flew around you, Alone, no help for miles and just you and a pair of 45 autos on you and a 30-30 Winchester on your dead horse in the open line of fire. Can many men live to tell about how they felt just about then? My how nice this Thompson would be now? If You HAVE been there, You know what I am talking about.

The lawmen today still face danger ever day, its a part of their life and anyone else who carries a gun weather its a concealed handgun license carried by someone who has the training and guts to use it if called for to just a person defending his loved ones faces decision time in a seconds notice.

Pappy Davinport did what he had to do in his day and lived to die an old man. Untill any fighting man is pushed to fight, he will never know what its like to live with taking another mans life and having to live with his actions the remainder of his life. Pray to God, as We All did that day would never come and when it did , We have to live with our actions for the rest of our life.